Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

You can make a suggestion on our contact page. Please note that I can’t possibly make a tutorial out of every request

What is the fastest way for me to get my question answered?

You can ask your question on my Facebook page. I check Facebook more often than any other service.

What version of Photoshop do I need for your tutorials?

C6 – CC will all work great.
But Please note that our free tutorials are presented “as is”. Some of my tutorials will work with older versions of Photoshop, but my tutorials are always designed for the version of Photoshop I am using. As of June 2018, I do my tutorials in Photoshop CC 2018.

Can I follow your tutorials with Photoshop Elements?

Most likely No. Photoshop Elements is a really great program for doing simple edits and effects. Much of what I do involve features not available in Elements. But you’re free to try!

How can I get really good at Photoshop?

Practice, practice, practice and practice some more… I’ve been using Photoshop since 2001, and to this day I still learn new things every day. School is never out for the pro! I would recommend that you pick up a camera and take photos and try to do something awesome. Follow my tutorials and try to come up with new ideas from the stuff I teach you.

NO! I make videos for people to learn how to do this stuff. Nothing annoys me more than people asking me to do FREE Photoshop work for them.

I’m always glad and happy to help people out by answering a question or giving them advice or tips on improving their skills or an image they share with me. But that does not mean I will design your logo, or “Photoshop something really quick.”

Can you share or recommend my website/Facebook/product with your followers?

Probably not, I will not share or recommend anything that does not add any value or benefit to my followers. If you have an awesome page, and it offers amazing stuff, I will probably share it but it’s got to be extraordinary. If you have a product (i.e. book or video) for sale I will not recommend it unless I have used it and find it to be of great quality and value. You are free to ask me, but I will probably not share anything unless it’s amazing!

Photoshop Training Channel

Where can I show my appreciation for your hard work and all the free stuff?

The best way to show your appreciation is by sharing PTC with all your friends! If you like something I do share it on Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Pinterest, or where ever you like to share your stuff.You can also link to my tutorials on your website or blog!

Can I place a link to the Photoshop Training Channel on my blog?

How nice of you to ask. Of course, you may!

How and when did Photoshop Training Channel start?

I started PTC as a fun side project on July 13th 2012, but it quickly turned into much more than that!

Actually, the idea for the Photoshop Training Channel was in my head since 2004, I was a college student at the time, and although I did not have the name in mind, I did have the idea of creating a website where people could learn Photoshop in an over-the-shoulder kind of way.

Unfortunately, I never got around to it, I always left it for “tomorrow”, or for when “the time is right”. In early 2012 (8 years later!), I heard the author Timothy Ferris say in an interview something that really stuck in my head; “You are not guaranteed a tomorrow”. Once I heard that I realize that if I didn’t do it then, I wasn’t guaranteed a chance to do it in the future. That’s when I decided to create my first tutorial and put it up on YouTube.

In the beginning, PTC was just a YouTube channel, there was no website, no Facebook, or anything else. I was lucky enough that people reacted positively to my stuff from day 1 and my followers started to increase steadily.

So I decided to create a website and get on the social media sites. My Facebook Page has been growing really fast, and I’ve been really surprised to see all the love I’m getting from Pinterest.

Who designed your awesome website?

I did! I’ve worked as a web developer for many years so I used those skills to make this website!

Technical

What Operating system do you use?

Windows 10

Why don’t you use a Mac?

I do use a Mac. I have a Macbook pro, but I also have a desktop PC, which is where I record my tutorials. Photoshop is perhaps the best cross-platform application ever made. There is only a few minor differences between iOS and Windows. In terms of the Photoshop it self, it really doesn’t matter what you use it on, as long as you have a machine that performs well.

YES. I would recommend the Adobe Creative Cloud, which is what I subscribe to. It’s $49.99 a month and it includes Photoshop CC along with all the Creative Suite programs (Dreamweaver, InDesign, Premiere, After Effect, etc.). I find this to be a great deal, which is why I subscribed to it. You also get all the latest releases as soon as they come out, so you always have the latest version of the software! If you just want Photoshop, then the Photography plan for 9.99 a month is a really good deal.

About The Host

Who is the host of The Photoshop Training Channel?

It’s me! Hi, my name is Jesús Ramirez, I am a web developer, graphic designer, and online educator. Those are in no particular order.

I’ve spent the last 10 years of my life dedicated to making awesome images & learning Photoshop. During that time I have made THOUSANDS of mistakes and learned from each one of them. Now I get to bring all that knowledge to you!

I’ve been self-taught since I was 19 and learned by exploring the program to create awesome visual effects. I literally clicked on every single menu, checkbox or icon you could click on to figure out what it did.

I started with Photoshop way before there was a YouTube, or even a Facebook (actually there was not even a MySpace!). At that time there were not as many resources as there are now, not many videos or websites where you could learn, especially for free. But I did manage to find a handful of websites that helped me a lot.

One of the big reasons why the Photoshop Training Channel exists is to save people from the headache and the thousands of hours I had to spend learning how to do what I do. However I did buy a training course that was about 12 hours on CD Roms, and I watched it twice! That helped a lot.

How long have you been using Photoshop

Since April 25 th 2001. That’s the day I got my hands on Photoshop 6! It all started out as something fun for me, as a chance to make cool images.

I still remember the first time I used Photoshop. I spent 5-6 hours after school making a composite of a soccer player, it was a goalie diving for a ball, and I included a player from another image going for the ball as well. I figured out how to to do it all on my own, with no tutorials, no books, just clicking around, and figuring things out. I had a lot of fun making that first composition, I will never forget it. You can see the image here! Let me know what you think of my first Photoshop image!

How do you have the time and energy to do everything?

That’s easy! I make the time.

I believe people make time for what is important to them. This is important to me so I make time for it. Remember the quote I shared with you in the answer above? “You are not guaranteed a tomorrow.” I think of that every time I feel like being lazy! I also make time by waking up early (6 AM) and going to bed late (12 AM). (it’s actually 12:30 AM as I write this! It’s past my bedtime!)

I believe that staying fit helps me get more energy to spend long hours behind the screen, so I play soccer as much as I can. I also follow the P90XAthlene-X running program to stay as fit as possible.

What other things can you do besides graphics?

I’ve worked as a web developer for many years, so I’m pretty good at coding HTML, CSS, & PHP (I designed and developed this awesome website!).In addition to computer arts and programming, I am also a huge soccer fan, I played in college and it’s something I still love to do. (For the soccer fans out there, in case you’re wondering I am a Barça fan!

Anything else about you that you want to share with us?

My first language is Spanish, I think you can probably tell from the videos, the accent comes out every now and again. My wife makes fun of how I pronounce certain things. She is not a Spanish speaker.

I have a cat named Chicharito (Soccer fans will get the name), he was featured in my Furry Text Tutorial.

My Tutorials in Spanish – Mis Tutoriales en Español

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About PTC

The Photoshop Training Channel is a Photoshop resource site for beginners. PTC was founded in July 2012 by Jesús Ramirez. The main goal of this site is to provide quality tips, tricks, hacks, and other Photoshop resources that allows beginners to improve their skills. More.